Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and a corresponding communication system for handling alarms using a management network that has at least two management devices on different management levels.
The principles of a management network, which are also called Telecommunications Management Network or TMN principles, define a number of management levels having management devices for managing a communication system (i.e., a mobile communication system), each level having a dual function. In the managing system, every level except for the bottom level has a manager function for the level situated below it. In the managed system, every level except for the top level has an agent function for the next higher level.
Fault management is an important part of TMN management. In principle, on the basis of faults in the communication system, active alarms can be generated, notified to the agent on a management level and, from there, forwarded to the manager on the next higher management level. As is known, the alarms can be received by the management devices in each case, can be stored either by the management device acting as agent or by the management device acting as superior manager and can be handled for a specific period of time by operators, which are each coupled to the management devices. Hence, one exemplary application of time-dependent alarm handling is when one management device is responsible only during the day and the other management device is responsible only at night and on particular days.
The management devices have the operators coupled to them, and these perform one or more alarm handling functions, e.g., confirmation of the alarm, examination of the fault message using the alarm data received, undertaking measures for eliminating the fault, processing information about the outcome of fault elimination. These functions can be controlled and performed independently of one another by the management devices or their operators during the period of their responsibility.
German Published, Non-Prosecuted Patent Application DE 197 52 614 A1 specifies a method and a communication system for handling alarms for alarm data equalization, which describes a basic functionality in the manager-agent relationship. In this application, the agent sends the active alarms as a sequence of standardized M-EVENT-REPORTS that represent generic Common Management Information Service Element (CMISE) procedures based on ITU-T X.710. In addition, an ITU-T X.733 defines the content of a standardized alarm report.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a method and a communication system for handling alarms using a management network that has a number of management levels, which overcome the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known methods and devices of this general type and which can be used to achieve automatic coordination between the management devices on different levels during alarm handling.
With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a method for handling alarms, which comprises the steps of providing a management network having at least two management devices on different management levels, receiving active alarms by the management devices, storing active alarms by one management device as agent or by the other management device as superior manager, handling active alarms for a specific period of time by operators that are coupled to the management devices, and introducing between the management devices a checking function having one or more checking attributes for reciprocal information about alarm handling.
Alarms can be stored either by one management device or by the other management device and can be handled for a specific period of time by operators that are coupled to the management devices on the basis that management devices receive active alarms. The subject matter of the invention involves introducing a checking function having one or more checking attributes for reciprocal information about alarm handling between the management devices.
The communication system for alarm handling has a communication interface between the management devices for introducing a checking function having one or more checking attributes for reciprocal information about alarm handling.
With the objects of the invention in view, there is also provided a communication system for handling alarms, including a management network having at least two management devices on different management levels receiving active alarms, one management device storing the active alarm as agent or the other management device storing the active alarm as superior manager, operators coupled to the management devices handling the active alarms for a specific period of time, and a communication interface between the management devices for introducing a checking function having one or more checking attributes for reciprocal information about alarm handling.
The checking function according to the invention results in automatic coordination between the management devices situated in a manager-agent relationship on different management levels during alarm handling. A disadvantage of management devices results from the responsibility for alarm handling being divided up on the basis of time and that the management device is not informed on its own management level about the latest changes in alarm handling on other management levels. The introduction of the checking function having checking attributes overcomes the disadvantage easily and with little signaling and, therefore, with low cost. The use of the checking function enables information about alarm handling to be interchanged for the first time. Furthermore, automatically coordinating the management devices causes optimization of fault management in the management network and a significant reduction of complexity for the operators.
According to particularly advantageous developments of the invention, the management device sets a checking attribute for identifying the handling status and/or a checking attribute for identifying the history of alarm handling for the stored active alarm. The checking attribute enables automatic coordination of alarm handling to be parameterized by the respective management device.
In accordance with another mode of the invention, there is provided the step of setting a checking attribute by the management device for identifying the stored active alarm.
In accordance with a further mode of the invention, there is provided the step of setting the checking attribute equal to a value used for identifying an alarm notification to be forwarded to the other management device.
In accordance with an added mode of the invention, there is provided the step of setting a checking attribute by a management device for identifying the handling status for the stored active alarm.
In accordance with an additional mode of the invention, there is provided the step of supplying the checking attribute with a value that indicates that no operator has noted the active alarm.
In accordance with yet another mode of the invention, there is provided the step of supplying the checking attribute with a value that indicates that an operator has confirmed the active alarm.
In accordance with yet a further mode of the invention, there is provided the step of supplying the checking attribute with a value that indicates that an operator has initiated repair measures for the active alarm.
In accordance with yet an added mode of the invention, there is provided the step of supplying the checking attribute with a value that indicates that an operator has eliminated the cause of the fault for the active alarm.
In accordance with yet an additional mode of the invention, there is provided the step of directing the management device to set a checking attribute for identifying the history of alarm handling for the stored active alarm.
In accordance with again another mode of the invention, there is provided the step of supplying the checking attribute with at least one pair of values, the first value of the pair of values indicating the instant at which a checking attribute used for identifying the handling status changes, and the second value of the pair of values indicating the name of the operator handling the active alarm.
In accordance with again a further mode of the invention, there is provided the step of supplying the checking attribute with a sequence of pairs of values based on handling of the active alarm by different operators.
According to a further advantageous refinement of the invention, should the agent perform alarm handling and make changes to the checking attributes, these changes are sent to the manager in a notification for updating alarm handling. As an alternative, should the manager perform alarm handling and set the checking attributes, these checking attributes are sent to the agent in a setting notification for investigating the handling status for the active alarm.
In accordance with again an added mode of the invention, there is provided the step of sending changes to the checking attributes to the manager in a notification for updating alarm handling when the agent performs alarm handling and makes changes to the checking attributes.
In accordance with again an additional mode of the invention, there is provided the step of sending checking attributes to the agent in a setting notification for investigating the handling status for the active alarm when the manager performs alarm handling and sets the checking attributes.
In accordance with still another mode of the invention, there is provided the steps of directing the agent to use an allocation table that contains, allocated to one another, respective values for identifying the alarm notifications and storing the respective values, forwarding the respective values for identifying the alarm notifications for the active alarms to the manager to identify an original alarm pertaining to the active alarm, and replacing the checking attribute identifying the current handling status with the checking attribute received in the setting notification.
In accordance with still a further mode of the invention, there is provided the step of directing the respective management device to apply the values and checking attributes set for the first alarm in a corresponding manner for the subsequent alarms when there is any correlation between a first active alarm and subsequent alarms.
In accordance with a concomitant mode of the invention, there is provided the steps of forming an operation and maintenance center by the management device acting as agent and forming a network management center that is superior to the operation and maintenance center by the management device acting as manager.
Other features that are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a method and a communication system for handling alarms using a management network that has a number of management levels, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.